The Trouble With Loving A Malfoy
by draco-is-adored
Summary: Hermione's 7th and final year at Hogwarts. She finds some of Draco's secrets and tries to help him. Eventually both turn spies for the Order. HGDM sorry im bad at summaries.
1. The Long Awaited Letter

It was coming today, she knew it. Just then she heard the mailman, turn into her long sweeping driveway on his motorbike. She rushed out of her huge, old house to greet him. As he gave her the mail he smiled at her like he had done for the past week.

'_She must have something important coming to her_' he thought.

"What is it that you are waiting for?" He inquired.

"A letter from my school, telling me whether I made Head Girl or not" She replied grinning, "It has to be coming soon"

She turned her attention to the letters; there were four, two bills, a postcard and a thick creamy envelope with emerald green ink on the front and the familiar Hogwarts Crest in the top right hand corner.

"Oh my god" She squealed, "It's here"

"Well, let's see then, open it up" Said the postman smiling.

She opened it neatly and scanned the page.

_Dear Miss Granger,_

_Congratulations, you have been appointed Head Girl for your 7th and final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We are pleased to inform you that you are have been accepted into ten 7th year NEWT classes, unfortunately you must choose only eight out of the ten to complete your studies at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Send your preferences with return owl no later than August the 1st._

_Your Choices include:_

_Arithmancy_

_Transfiguration_

_Charms_

_Potions_

_Care of Magical Creatures_

_Herbology_

_Defence Against The Dark Arts_

_Ancient Runes_

_Astrology_

_History of Magic_

_When you have completed your preferences, we will be able to send you a list of items you must buy. Congratulations again for becoming Head Girl, this is in recognition of all your hard work throughout all your years at Hogwarts. I expect to see this continuing work ethic through your head girl duties as well as your school work. _

_Term begins on September the 1st. Enjoy the rest of the holidays._

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

A grin spread across Hermione's face as she finished the letter.

"Yes" She said punching the air.

"So, Head Girl is it?" The postman inquired.

"Not only that I was accepted into every N.E.W...Advanced class that I could have got into" Hermione corrected herself. A muggle such as the postman would have no idea what N.E.W.T classes were.

"My...my...you are a smart one, have a good year" Said the postman starting the motorbike again before riding down to the next letter box. Hermione waved goodbye before going back inside.

---------------

"Your Hogwarts letter has arrived Draco" Said a cold voice from to his left. He looked along the long lavish dining table towards his father. Cold grey eyes met cold steely blue.

"Really?", Inquired Draco politely, "May I see?"

He knew that the letters were coming and he was hoping that he had been made Head Boy, and then all of his hard work wouldn't have been for nothing.

"Of course" Replied his father. Draco immediately rose and walked along the table towards his father who was holding out a creamy, thick envelope.

"Thank you father" Said Draco, then looking at the opened letter he stated, "You opened it?"

"Naturally" Came his fathers reply.

Draco went quietly back to his seat and opened his letter; he wouldn't press the matter further unless he wanted a most unpleasant beating.

_Dear Mr. Malfoy,_

_Congratulations, you have been appointed Head Boy for your 7th year at Hogwarts. We are pleased to inform you that you are have been accepted into ten 7th year N.E.W.T classes, unfortunately you must choose only eight out of the ten to complete your studies at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Send your preferences with return owl no later than August the 1st._

_Your Choices include:_

_Arithmancy_

_Transfiguration_

_Charms_

_Potions_

_Care of Magical Creatures_

_Herbology_

_Defence Against The Dark Arts_

_Ancient Runes_

_Astrology_

_History of Magic_

_When you have completed your preferences we will be able to send you a list of items you must buy. Congratulations again for becoming Head Boy, this is recognition that all of your hard working has not gone unnoticed through your years. I expect to see you applying yourself to your Head Boy duties as well as your school work and the school will benefit from your input_

_Term begins on September the 1st. Enjoy the rest of the holidays._

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Draco grinned but quickly hid it, Malfoy's were never supposed to show emotion, and he just hoped that his father hadn't seen the twinge of a real grin spread across his son's face.

'_Yes' He_ thought. I got the badge.


	2. Back To Hogwarts

"Mum, are you up yet?", Hermione's voice sailed up the stairs to her parents bedroom, "We have to go to the train station, and I don't want to be late"

Hermione was sitting in her ancient but stunning kitchen, eating breakfast and going over all the things she needed for seventh year in her mind. She didn't want to leave anything behind, in a few hours she would be leaving on the brilliant scarlet train, The Hogwarts Express. She wondered how her friends were, they hadn't owled much, being part of the Order of The Phoenix, their letters were written while under complete supervision by Mrs. Weasley, which meant they couldn't really say what they wanted and they found it too annoying. So Hermione only received letters every two weeks. She missed them so much but she knew it was partly her fault. She didn't want to join the order, it was a last minute decision that she regretted. She had backed out because of the dangerous position she would be in. Voldemort was still gaining power and Dumbledore suspected there was a spy in the Order that was personally handing information to the Dark Lord, and so Hermione felt it was safer if she just watched from the sidelines on this adventure, she had been in too many life-threatening situations already in her life and she was only seventeen. Hermione had instantly regretted it because she had never cowered out of anything, she was brave, and she was a Gryffindor. She knew she would be allowed to join the order after she came of age but she had the same opportunity Harry and Ron did to join on their seventeenth birthday.

"Honey, It's 6:30" Said her mother tiredly walking over to the fridge. Hermione jumped she hadn't realized her parents had got up, "The train doesn't leave until eleven"

"Mum, I only have 3½ hours till the train leaves, and I want to triple check I have everything" Hermione replied.

"Then why do I have to get up so early?" Her mother inquired.

Hermione didn't even answer; sometimes her mother was so annoyingly lazy. Hermione finished her breakfast and headed upstairs to check that she had packed everything. Satisfied dragged her trunk downstairs to the front door. She then fetched Crookshanks from the backyard and fed him, before settling herself on the couch with the '_Standard Book of Spells, Grade 7_'

----- ----- ----- -----

"Draco, get your arse out of that bed" Yelled a voice from outside an exquisite door. Draco stirred and got quickly out of his King sized, four-poster bed. If he was to slow he would have to go through another beating like that of last night. He had simply refused to marry that ugly pug-faced Parkinson. She was a horrible excuse for a female and Draco wouldn't go near her with a six-foot pole, but now it was likely that he would be betrothed to her, just because of the stupid Malfoy tradition, he was to marry shortly after Graduation. Life was so unfair for him; everything was already planned out for him. He was to receive the dark mark shortly, and then after graduation he would marry and impregnate who he was betrothed to. He would produce an heir to the Malfoy name. He had also found out recently that his child would be Voldemort's heir. He had hated the enslavement of the Malfoy name and he was sure he couldn't bring a child in this world to know his father, let alone be an heir to Voldemort. He had despised Voldemort with all his might ever since he was a child. It was his fault that he didn't have a normal upbringing with a normal family that did normal things.

He was still slightly sore as he dressed into casual clothes, wincing when he put his shirt on. He couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts for several reasons. The first and foremost reason was to escape his father, and maybe not think about his pre-decided future. The second was that he could do magic again, and he desperately needed to use some healing charms, he was sure his father had cracked at least one rib while 'teaching' him last night. The third was that this year would be very different from other years as he would be sharing a dormitory with who ever the Head Girl was. It would most likely be Granger; he couldn't see any of the other prefects beating her to the position. He disliked Granger, not because of his father's petty reasons although he pretended that it was the reason, she just simply irritated him. He wasn't use to people being better than him at anything and she had beaten him every year at his studies.Quite the contrary to what people thought, Draco studied hard for his results. Maybe his father would lay-off if he became Valedictorian of Hogwarts.

He went down to breakfast feeling extremely happy that soon he would escape his father and his beatings, he didn't deserve them.

----- ----- ----- -----

Hermione stepped onto the familiar platform 9¾ to see the scarlet train, standing there as solid as ever. She smiled this was it, her last year of Hogwarts, she would soon be released upon the world.

Hermione suddenly felt the wind knocked out of her as she felt two tall figures crashing into her in an attempt to hug her.

"Hey 'Mi" Said the vivid redhead, Ron Weasley.

"Hey 'Mi" Repeated the raven haired boy, Harry Potter, "How were your holiday's, we have so much to tell you"

Hey guys, Ohhh, I've missed you so much; alright tell me on the train, I have to go to the prefects carriage.

"Oh, I have to go there as well, later Harry"

"Yeah bye, I'll, uh, go find Ginny"

----- ----- ----- -----

"Bye" Said Draco, walking away. He didn't expect a big farewell from his parents, but he thought they could have at least seen him onto the train. But Draco should've expected the less than warm farewell from his parents.

'_Don't they have any emotion at all?'_ He thought to himself, '_I hate them!'_

When platform 9 ¾ materialised in front of him, he strode off to find his friends before heading to the prefect carriage.

----- ----- ----- -----

Hermione and Ron moved along the train to the very front where the prefect's carriage was situated. When they entered they saw that they were the first there and so sat themselves down on the comfortable seats and waited.

They didn't have to wait long before there were five more prefects sitting in chairs around the carriage. Five minutes after that all twenty-four prefects were situated in the carriage.

"Ok everyone, first on the agenda, I'd like to congratulate the new fifth year prefects, I'm sure you can do a lot for the school" Said Hermione starting the meeting.

"Second, We have a meeting with Dumbledore tomorrow night at seven o'clock don't be late" Said Draco cutting Hermione off. She gave him a quick deadly glare and he flashed a smile at her. She shrugged it off then continued.

"Thirdly...."

----- ----- ----- -----

Hermione and Ron stumbled as they walked back through the carriages looking for Harry and Ginny. They found them about half-way along the train in a compartment with Lavender, Parvati and Padma.

"Whoa Harry, talk about being a ladies man" Said Ron smiling before sitting down opposite Harry who was squished between Parvati and Lavender, both of whom were looking at Harry in awe.

'_Well he certainly has gotten hot' _Thought Hermione, '_Ron too'_

Ginny however was sitting beside where Ron had sat and was looking as though she distinctly hated both of them for sitting so close to him.

"I guess now wouldn't be a good time to tell me what's been happening with you guys then" Hermione whispered as she squashed up next to Ron.

"Apparently not" Said Ron quietly.


	3. Fights and Relationships Begin

Hermione enjoyed her first week of school, everything except for Potions and Draco Malfoy. Unfortunately she had to deal with both at the same time as well as Draco by himself of a night time, and as if that wasn't enough? They had been placed as potion-partners by Snape. It was as if this year she couldn't escape the insulting Draco Malfoy and she hated it.

Hermione was sitting in their overly large common room when Draco came sauntering in through the portrait.

"Do you ever stop reading?" He enquired rudely.

"Stupid question" Hermione retorted equally as rude.

"Where's Potty and Weasel?"

"In the Gryffindor common room" Hermione replied sweetly, "Stupid"

"Ohhhh, that is so offensive" Draco taunted, "I think I might go and cry in my bed"

He then crossed the common room to his bedroom and when he got to the door he paused for a moment before slamming it just for effect.

------ ------ ------ ------

_Why does she infuriate me so much?_

----- ----- ----- -----

_Why does he infuriate me so much?_

----- ----- ----- -----

When Hermione entered the Great Hall the next day for breakfast she tiredly walked over to the Gryffindor table before sitting down huffily next to Ron.

"Malfoy?", Inquired Ron.

"Yep, he infuriates me so much I spent all night fuming about him.

"Oh Granger that's so sweet" Said Draco mockingly, he had been walking past the Gryffindor table and had overheard her conversation with the Weasel and couldn't pass up the chance to mock her. It was simply just for show but he couldn't let anyone know that, nor could anyone know that he had spent the night fuming about her. So he was just as tired as she was.

Hermione just scowled at him and turned back to her plate of food, but simply pushed it away.

"'Mi, you have to eat" commented Ron

"I'm not hungry" Said Hermione rudely.

Ron turned back to his food, ignoring her; there was simply no way to have a conversation with Hermione Granger when she was in one of her moods.

----- ----- ----- -----

"Granger, you better not screw up this potion" Draco sneered at her, while preparing ingredients for a complicated depression cure.

"Don't worry Malfoy, I intend to do well this year in potions" Hermione sneered back.

"Oh and how will you manage that?" Said Draco, who was laughing because Professor Snape had just taken ten points away from Gryffindor because Hermione talking excessively.

"That's bull," Hermione cursed under her breath, "I said one sentence"

"Well you can't expect Snape to be fair, can you?" Draco replied honestly.

"Apparently not" Hermione replied looking curiously at him, "So you agree that he is unfair?"

"You'd have to be blind, deaf and stupid not to think so" Was all Draco said.

They finished the potion in silence before corking a flask filled with the bright blue watery substance. They were both pleased with the result as they had been extremely careful and precise with the measurements, they were sure that they would receive an O for the potion. They could have been very much mistaken but they were sure that Snape had put the two of them together to ensure that Draco would receive full marks for the year. Draco was extremely good at Potions but by pairing him with Hermione, it was a certainty that he would achieve at least an E for his potion works in his N.E.W.T exams.

The bell went and Draco was first out of the classroom. Hermione waited for Harry and Ron to pack their things up. When they eventually crossed the room to where she was waiting she was getting rather annoyed.

"Do you two have to take so long, honesty" She said rudely

They looked at each other before following her out of the classroom and up to the Great Hall for lunch.

----- ----- ----- -----

Draco was watching Hermione reading a large book on the armchair opposite his own, when he saw that she wasn't reading anymore. Her brow was creased in concentration but her eyes weren't moving.

"Was there something you wanted?" She asked, finally looking up.

"Oh no" He said but continued to stare at her long after she had started reading again.

"Excuse me" Said the old Lady from the portrait, "But there are two young gentlemen and one young lady outside asking for Hermione"

"Oh, Let them in" Hermione said quickly.

"I don't want to be here" Said Draco, getting up and going into his bedroom.

Hermione watched him leave before turning her attention to her guests. They were walking the distance to the couch when Hermione noticed that Harry and Ginny were looking extremely happy, but Ron was eyeing them suspiciously. It was then that Hermione noticed Harry and Ginny holding hands.

Harry noticed and commented, "I asked her out half an hour ago"

Hermione squealed and ran over to them and hugged them both in turn commented how happy she was for them.

"I was talking to Ron and he was saying how he though she had a crush on me again, and I had been thinking the other night how I actually might have a crush on her and now the rest is history" Harry said extremely fast.

"Err... okay?" Said Hermione.

"Yeah and we have more news" Said Ron

"What's that?"

"Me and Harry, are s'pose to do training for old Voldy's attack, Dumbledore thinks it's gonna be soon" Ron said.


	4. The Truth and An Ultimatum

**Chapter 3: The Truth and An ****Ultimatum**

Hermione and Draco's sarcastic and sometimes harsh and offending comments went back and forth so much that they were secretly finding it hard to come up with comebacks every time an attack was made by the other. The arguments sometimes got so heated that their voices were heard by many students and teachers alike, and all resulted in both Heads retreating to their respective bedrooms, red-faced and fuming. Draco's calm, misleading appearance didn't hide his emotions by this stage; the anger was clearly evident when he saw the curly brown hair of his room-mate. Hermione, like-wise, couldn't hide her disgust at the blonde and often avoided the common room in an attempt to avoid him.

During Potions however, they both acted as if the other didn't exist. It would only be too easy for Snape to dock a lot of house points for any arguments between the two and Hermione didn't want to give him the satisfaction. However, due to the fact that they had been made potion-partners for the entire year made it hard for them. It was hard to ignore the other completely and still work together. In an attempt to achieve the marks they knew that were theirs they scribbled notes to each other or actually muttered comments, but never meeting the others eyes, scared that they would blow up at each other as they had so many times before.

"Today" Came Professor Snape's voice from the door, "We will be working on a potion that is immensely complex, I am certain that you have all heard of it, Veritaserum will take a full moon cycle and it is the right time of the month to commence it's making. You will be working with your partners and if you manage to do it correctly you will have a full hour of questioning, if you don't, which is likely, you may only get five minutes if any at all"

He tapped the board and the instructions for the day's lesson appeared instantaneously.

----- ------ ------ -----

A month later the class were assembled around their cauldrons nervously waiting, in five minutes their Veritaserum would be ready. Snape was standing behind his desk looking at his watch. The entire class was silently waiting for his signal to add the final ingredient.

"Now" Said the Professor.

An instant hiss fill the room from each of the cauldron's as their respective owners had added the last ingredient. Hermione cauldron hissed for a few seconds before becoming silent and again and the bright red substance turned instantly clear.

She smiled at Draco happy of their achievements he looked at her shocked for a second and she withdrew her smile, cursing herself. He turned his attention back to the cauldron, he grabbed two cups of pumpkin juice and used an eye-dropper to put a drop of their Veritaserum in each of the juices.

"You go first" Said Hermione before he made her.

He shrugged and downed the drink in one gulp. His eyes moved out of focus instantly and Hermione looked worried for a second but then decided to ask a question.

"Err... What is you name?"

"Draco Malfoy" Replied Draco instantly.

Hermione racked her brains for a question.

"Why do you hate me?" She asked confidently.

"I don't" He replied and continued in a flat tone, "You have everything I don't"

Hermione stared at him shocked, did Draco Malfoy, The Slytherin Ice Prince, just say that Hermione Granger had everything?

"What do I have that you don't?"

"People that care for you, a good home, a happy childhood, good friends that love you, you have everything"

"You have people that care for you, you parents" Said Hermione

"They don't care for me, especially my father; I am just there for show, simply an heir to the Malfoy name, I hate him"

"What's wrong with your home and your childhood?"

Hermione was worried that she was digging to deep in the scars of his past but she couldn't help herself.

"Hogwarts is my home now, it's the only place I can escape my father," Draco murmured onwards, "My childhood was dreadful, I used to watch as my father beat my mother because of my mistakes, when I was six, I received the beatings instead of my mother, my first was when I knocked over a vase, my father broke two of my ribs that day"

Hermione gasped but Draco kept going, "After that the beating became regular, if I made any mistakes he would hit me and kick me, a few weeks after my ninth birthday he started using the unforgivables on me, my childhood was pain beyond what you could imagine"

Hermione stared at him for a long time before recovering.

"You will be eighteen soon, you won't have to worry"

"No, My future was decided before I was born, not only am I to marry shortly after graduation, but I am to produce an heir before a year of marriage, he will be able to carry on the name of Malfoy, he is also planned to be the Dark Lord's heir, to lead the next generation in the Dark Lord's ways, I cannot escape this future or my father will have e killed"

Hermione again stared at him while she digested this information. Draco had a horrifying childhood and had a terrible life of murder and crime waiting for him just around the corner. For the first time ever she felt sorry for the blonde, he was trapped in his own life.

Draco suddenly snapped out of the trance and glared at Hermione before snatching his bag and stalking out of the classroom, leaving the entire class shocked and staring at Hermione.

"What happened here?" Said Professor Snape's cold voice.

Hermione just shook her head slowly, she was speechless of the information she had just found out, she had to help him, he was alone in this world and she had to help him. He was right he didn't have anyone, but she was certain that next time she would be there to help him.

---- ----- ----- -----

Draco stormed through the Hogwarts corridors frightening any students that he saw. He knew that Veritaserum was powerful, but he didn't count on spilling his deepest, darkest secret that he had vowed to take to his own grave. He was sure that Hermione would reveal his secret to the world and if she did he would die. Something he wasn't particularly happy about. His life was always screwed but now it was literally fucked. Why did his life have to be so damn difficult?

He stormed around the halls while a storm raged inside of him, the anger so clearly plastered on his face that people were giving him an extremely wide berth. He headed for the place that he knew would calm him down, the library. He retrieves Hogwarts, A History and disappears behind it, forgetting his problems.

----- ----- ----- -----

As soon as the bell went and Hermione, Harry and Ron were out of ear-shot from their potions professor she was bombarded with the questions she knew would come.

"What Happened?"

"What did he do?"

"If he did anything to you, we promise he will pay for it"

"Why did he storm out?"

"Guy...GUYS!" Hermione raised her voice, "He just...er...revealed something that I guess he never wanted anyone to know"

She then walked off before their questioning could go any further. They reached the Great Hall and found seat next to Ginny. Harry gave a kiss on the forehead as he covered her eyes playfully.

"Harry..."

He then sat down and they shared a short but passionate kiss.

"Egh... tell me when they've finished" Said Ron disgusted.

Hermione chuckled to herself. She was happy for the subject change, she had thought that they would push her to tell them what Malfoy had told her, but she didn't know if she could tell them, it seemed too ... personal, even if it was Malfoy, he didn't deserve for his deepest secret to be spread around the school, and she was certain if it went round the school his father would find out and kill him without a backward glance. Malfoy was right; he didn't have anyone that cared for him, so she would help him. She would talk to him in the common room later and persuade him to tell someone, an adult, or a close friend.

----- ----- ----- -----

Hermione found it hard to talk to Draco during the next few days; he either ignored her or just avoided her questioning. Her attempts to help him, always ending in him storming away, yelling at her to leave him alone.

A week later, the entire student body was getting sick of their bickering and the teachers were realising that their situation couldn't continue. Dumbledore called them to his office for a meeting; he was going to give them an ultimatum.

"You two, if you bickering does not cease you will both be forced to give up your Head titles," He said sternly, "You are suppose to set an example for the other students, and if you cannot learn to get along then I will be forced to remove your titles, I do not want to do this, you are the two smartest students in this school, I am sure you will find away"

"We're sorry professor" Said Hermione, "We will try"

"Now shake hands and leave"


	5. Begging, Ignoring and More Fights

**Chapter Five: Begging, Ignoring and More Fights**

It was a week since Dumbledore had given Draco and Hermione their ultimatum and so far they had kept their promise, no insults, sarcastic comments or hurtful gestures had been directed from one to the other. Hermione was getting desperate; she knew that if she didn't help Draco soon he would implode from his own feelings, they would eat at him from the inside until he couldn't take it anymore. She didn't know how much longer he could cope with his anguish and so she was desperate to gain his trust so he would have someone to talk to.

"Draco, can I talk to you?" She said as he finally entered the common room at 9:30, she had been waiting there for two hours for hi to reappear. He had been doing an extremely good job at ignoring her for the past week and she hated it.

"Sorry, too tired" He said and walked straight through to his bedroom and leaving her alone in the common room once more.

She sighed and went up to her own bedroom, '_He is impossible'_

----- ----- ----- -----

As the bright morning sunlight moved onto her face, she woke and when she realised why the sun was flooding her four-poster cursed herself for not shutting the curtains. She turned over and looked at the clock and seeing that it was only 6:45 cursed again before getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom, there was no way she would get back to sleep again. When she entered she saw that Draco was tiredly walking in through his door.

He grunted and walked back out again, not wanting a confrontation, there was no way in hell he would lose that badge when he worked so hard for it.

"Draco, Draco", Hermione ran towards him, but before she had got to his door, it was slammed shut.

She cursed to herself for the third time that morning, before having a shower, when she got out Draco was still locked in his room so she knocked on his door and yelled that the bathroom was free.

She then went back to her on room to get ready for the day.

----- ----- ----- -----

When Hermione got back into the common room that evening she put a locking spell on his door before settling herself at her desk and started on the mountain of homework that she had somehow let build up. She had done Binns foot and a half essay on her choice of goblin rebellions and had started McGonagall's Transfiguration essay when she heard the portrait open. She waited numbly for the reaction that would come any second. She glanced up and saw Draco staring at her lividly from the doorway.

"Don't just stand there come in" She said welcomely.

"Open my door now Granger" He said coldly

"Not until you talk to me" She replied.

"No" He said turning away, "I'll sleep on the couch"

"Please Draco", she started, "I'm begging you, I can help you, I haven't told anyone what you told me, I can help you, I haven't had the perfect life you think I have"

He turned for a moment, he was about to walk away when curiosity got the better of him.

"What d'you mean by that" He spat.

"My father used to beat my mother and last year my baby sister died in a car crash, I haven't got the best past either"

"Y-You have no idea" Draco yelled as his anger welled up.

"You think I don't have horrors in my past, I obviously didn't mention that my own father almost killed my mother and that I was the driver of the car that crashed into a truck which killed my own little sister" She said before tears tumbled down her face. She ran over to the door and slammed it in his face.

He was left standing there stupidly. Angrily he stalked off and marched around the corridors looking for people to tell off. He had no idea that Granger had had a hard life. He had been too wrapped up in his own past to think about anyone else. He hadn't even imagined that Granger had horrors in her life, she was so innocent and perfect how could she have had a bad childhood?


	6. Unrequited Love and Revealing Secrets to...

**Chapter 6: Unrequited Love and Revealing Secrets to Others**

Hermione again woke to sunlight streaming onto her face.

'_I really need to learn how to shut my curtains'_

When she looked at the clock however she saw that it was already 7:00. She was then grateful for her good luck; if she hadn't woken soon then she would have been late for breakfast. She hurried into the bathroom, noticing the definite decrease in the temperature. Winter was creeping upon her once again, she didn't know why but she had a certain urge for a sunny Christmas BBQ in Australia, just like she'd read about. When she was older she was certainly going to spend a Christmas somewhere bright, clear and sunny. She didn't necessarily dislike the snow, quite the contrary, White Christmases were special to her, but she just wanted a change from her old life.

Twenty rushed minutes later she was stuffing books into her bag as she ran down the stairs into her common-room. She was still trying to cram _Standard Book of Spells, Grade 7_ into her bag when she collided with something hard and went flying, landing hard on her tailbone. She winced as she stood and came face to face with the thing she had collided with. As she looked into those grey eyes, she saw the hurt that he felt, if only for a moment, before it was hidden expertly. She then turned on her heel and strode out of the common room leaving Draco to dwell on his thoughts. She had long given up on the blonde, he still hadn't talked to her and she was sick of trying to make friends, he was too stubborn for his own good.

----- ----- ----- -----

"Hermione, can I talk to you for a moment please?" Ron asked oddly sheepishly.

"What...Yeah sure"

Hermione was sitting in the Great Hall for lunch, cramming in last minute revision before a charms test when Ron, red eared had asked to talk to her privately.

When they were out of ear-shot of Harry or anyone else Ron started...

"Mione, you know we are best friends right?"

"Yeah, of course" She replied wondering where this was going.

"Well, a year ago my feeling for you developed and Hermione I really like you, I-I think I'm in love with you"

Hermione stood there shocked for a moment before replying.

"Ron, Y-you can't, how can you?" She finally managed to spit out going red in the face.

"'Mi", He then took her hands in his own before continuing; "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Hermione didn't know what was happening it was like the planets had moved out of alignment or something, Ron liking her. That was absurd, absolutely stupid, he was her _friend._

She untwined her hands from his hung them loosely at her sides.

"Ron, I'm really sorry, but I- I can't, I am under to much pressure at the moment I don't have time for a relationship"

She had broken her best friends heart as soon as she looked into his eyes she felt the hurt that he did, she fainted.

----- ------ ----- -----

Hermione opened her eyes and found herself in the pristine white of the hospital wing. She groggily sat up and regretted it in an instance, her head throbbed and she felt like she was going to throw up.

"Miss Granger, you finally awake" She heard an old voice from behind her, she turned to see an aging Professor Dumbledore smiling at her.

"P-Professor, w-what happened?"

"I am not sure what to tell you, as I do not know myself, we will run some spells and see if you have any medical illnesses other than that, unfortunately there is nothing more that we can do"

Hermione looked around noticing that Harry and Ron weren't there.

"I had to result to threatening them to make them go off to class, after all it is their final year here" Dumbledore smiled as her said this.

Hermione simply lay down and promptly fell asleep once again.

----- ----- ----- -----

"Well Miss Granger" Started Madam Promfry, "I cannot find a single thing wrong with you, it appears that you are in perfect health, apart from the fact that you are not, perhaps we will soon find out but for now off to class"

Hermione was then shepherded out of the hospital wing. She had been in there for a week, being prodded and poked with various instruments but to no avail, they couldn't find the cause to her sickness. Although she was now feeling almost normal she had a continual bussing nose in her head that was rather off putting especially when trying to study. Harry and Ron had been coming in after each lesson and bringing her notes from the class with them.

She hadn't told them about Draco's problems and she didn't know who she could tell. If Draco found out he would literally murder her slowly and she didn't want that to happen as N.E.W.T.S were coming up at the end of the year.

------ ----- ----- -----

By the end of the day Hermione had decided that she could tell Ginny. Ginny was always there for Hermione when she had a problem and Ginny wouldn't break her trust and tell others.

"Oh 'Mi you should have told me sooner, no wonder your so stressed lately" Ginny exclaimed after Hermione had revealed her troubles.

They had found a quiet corner of the common room and Hermione had talked for twenty minutes straight on Draco, Ron and her unknown illness.

"I knew you'd understand" Said Hermione sweetly.

"Seriously Herms, don't stress out over Malfoy, if her wants to talk to you he will when he's ready, as for my brother, well you let him down easy, apart from the fainting bit, he was just slightly stressed after that but you shouldn't feel forced into anything and well I bet your illness is just something small, but while you don't know don't stress" She then winked and turned around to see Harry striding over and Ron shuffling over to them.

"Hey Gin" Harry commented, pecking her on the lips before turning to Hermione, "Hey 'Mi"

"Hey Harry, Ron" She said.

Harry smiled but Ron's face went his trademark tomato and Hermione decided it was time to leave.


End file.
